Painted Canister

SKU

LO.580

Circa

2800 BC to 2600 BC

Dimensions

3″ (7.6cm) high

Medium

Terracotta

Origin

Baluchistan

Gallery Location

UK

Short cylindrical body, short neck with a wide rim, the sides painted with colourful concentric square patterns, in between vertical bands of horizontal strokes. This type of fired clay vessel was mostly produced at the site of Merhgarh in Baluchistan. From here and other small centres, they were traded far and wide throughout Baluchistan, from the borders of the Indus Valley to south-eastern Iran. Examples of this pottery were also carried by merchants and nomads during their travels within the Indus Valley, and fragments have been found at the site of Harappa dating to 2800-2600 BCE and possibly even earlier. The motifs painted include both geometric and floral and stylised animals. Yet, this type of pottery was no more produced after the beginning of the mature Harappan period (i.e. 2600 BCE).
For comparable examples see: J.F.Jarrige ed., Les Cites Oubliees de l’Indus: Archeologie du Pakistan, 1988: pp.105-107.